gracies venture inc

pricey, special occasion place. dinner for two last night: $400 including tip. a sumptuous 7 course chef's tastingmenuranging from seared duck breast in duck jus on a bed of baby carrots, to halibut with roasted beet puree. plus various cheese courses, intermezzos, and amuse bouches, along with a cocktail course, and 7 matching wine courses for the food. professional michelin-starred level service. a quiet table, as i had requested. freshly baked specialty breads: spicy lavash, honey-drenched beer bread, baguette, and rosemary focaccia brought by at regular intervals by a dedicated bread steward. the most luscious foie gras torchon i've ever eaten, period. dessert was a generous hazelnut crusted chocolate cake with house made gelato, and when we reclaimed our car from the free valet, there were fresh baked cookies on the center console, a nice touch.

one quick note: this restaurant is aimed at a sophisticated audience, frequent travelers to europe with highly educated palates and a relaxed but not pretentious attitude towards dining out. if you are looking for an efficient refueling stop, consider applebee's or chili's. expect a typical meal here to take anywhere from 3 to 4 hours, with long pauses between courses to allow conversation.

wow...absolutely amazing! for the comments about themenugetting pricey. i disagree a three course delectable meal for 3 with 5 glasses of wine - under 200 dollars! i don't know where your from but for this quality, decor, and fine dining experience...it is a complete steal!

hands down my favorite place in prov. this place is great. dennis is the best server in the place. sometimes the service can be spotty, which is a turnoff due to the prices, but it's manageable. the food is absolutely out of this world. the wine room is a great place to make a reservation for a special occasion. in my opinion, this place has the best food in providence, and they day a pretty good job at switching up themenubased on the season. the foie gras is the best i've had in the northeast.

worth the hype. i have heard from friends for years to check this place out. i am so glad i finally did. the things they did with corn were amazing. the corn soup with lobster was one of the best dishes that i have ever had. everything, including the service, was great. we went with the prix fixmenuas my girlfriend is not overly adventurous and didn't want to try the five course tasting menu. maybe next time. i can't wait to go back.

yuuuummmmm. we celebrated an anniversary there with the 7 course tastingmenu+ wine pairings. while there were a couple of things i didn't care for (chocolate-infused vodka in my port?), it was overall one of the best meals we've had. the foie gras with crispy banana bread was like a decadent adult pb&j, and the rabbit loin was perfect. a great (if expensive) occasion place.

"...we treasured in deliciousness.". following our first visit i believe that i had compared this restaurant to a very special place in napa: farm. gracie's is equal to the best-of-the-best.
entrusting our party of four to the whims of the chef we treasured in deliciousness. truly, truly spectacular was the 5-course tasting menu; an experience, not a "meal". by choosing tastings you place yourself in the hands of someone unknown. what will come? will it be good? these questions need not be asked at gracie's. from bread to delicate starters, and a gnocchi dish - almost a stew - so delightful, causing chins to drop in confusion; can food be this good? dessert so special in form and taste. service designed for royals. jonathan edwards syrah went oh-so-well with all. thank you!


-----27 feb, 2012-----

our first visit to gracie's was this past saturday night and our only regret was not having dined here prior! this was a truly wonderful culinary experience. based solely on themenuitems consumed my wife and i agreed that a fair comparison would be with farm in napa. thankfully gracie's was half the price, but no less enjoyable. both jeffrey's greens salad and the sherry roasted beet salad were sublime starters. we then moved on to the crescent farms duck - cooked to perfection - and my own entree, the all natural black angus ribeye. the ribeye was cooked exactly as ordered and presented in such a wonderful way, so as to guide my path of consumption - two halves separated by spicy greens and pearl onion confit. when eaten together' sharing the fork, the explosion of taste with each bite was absolutely delectable. we continued to enjoy our bottle of paraduxx, which went quite well with both entrees (note: wine list is very good and uncommon, which i viewed as not copied from another restaurant; appreciated). for dessert we ordered two opposing ports, to accompany the jasmine pound cake and s'mores tart. both were excellent. each of the three courses were sized correctly and i count the presentationof each among some of the best plating in the city. we departed 100% satiated, delighted, and wanting to return the next day. service: precise, on-time (neither rushed or yearning), extremely friendly, welcoming, and full of pride in the dishes delivered. location: very easy to get to, whether choosing to valet (we heard they leave cookies in your car!), or deciding on a private lot as we did (the garage just across the street). atmosphere: energetic, with high ceilings and fairly close seating arrangements. despite being downtown, among office buildings with the interior they have achieved a victorian feel using colors, wood and lighting. one of the warmest restaurants in a downtown area. overall: while perfection is near impossible to achieve with consistency, this first impression would easily keep us trying for three subsequent visits - even if each were to fall short. on the other hand, if close to or exceeding, then we will be very, very happy to return many more times.

i am a huge fan of gracie's! the restaurant and food are beautiful! anytime i go, gracie's awakens tastebuds i never knew i had. they delicately balance education, great food, and service. the staff is so helpful and go above and beyond to make customers happy. don't make the mistake of thinking this place is too pricey for you. their prixe fixmenumakes gracie's accessible to anyone. their creme brulee is the best i have ever had and i go there just for that sometimes. keep up the great work!

65 minutes between courses. chosen for good early reviews.menuinteresting and varied. waitstaff professional but not friendly. they were out of the first two wines we selected. no substitute or upgrade was offered. we waited over an hour between our appetizer and our entrees. bread server must have come by our table 4 or 5 times. they also kept trying to pour our wine but we wanted to have some left for our entrees. no explanation was given, just a curt apology from the owner/manager and an offer of dessert wine, which we declined. very over rated ---an awful evening and we won't be back

romantic...best staff i've met since moving to ri 3 years ago,menuis fab! little $$$ but sooo worth every penny

best meal ever.... i absolutely never write these things...but as a public service, i'll do so.

my wife & i were in town to see jersey boys for our anniversary & had the pleasure of having dinner at gracie's.

i have eaten at the best restaurants all over the world and after last night, i have to say that gracie's ranks at the top.

we had the 5 course tastingmenu($75) and it was a bargain! everything was chef recommended, so each course was a surprise to us. everything - and i mean everything - ranged from "excellent" to "took my breath away".

start with a cocktail - they mix them very well, so you can taste both the flavor and the liquor - and they are presented with just enough ice (to make it cold). they had several different varieties of bread (the crackle crust was out of this world, as opposed to the foccacia, which was only magnificent). the wait staff was accomodating - making sure your drinks were refilled and bringing out additional bread without swarming.

then the courses - simply unbelievable. the smoked salmon with the poached quail egg was beautifully presented & simply delicious. the handmade gnocchis with mushrooms had a refreshing hint of lemon zest. the hit of the evening was the seared sea scallops and razor clams - i mean, i would never make this at home - it had so many ingredients diced up fine (chorizon sausage, shallots, etc.) but when i was done, i flagged down one of the wait staff to ask for 2 slices of baguette and simply lapped up the sauce from the plate.

finally came the lamb tenderloins with fresh summer vegetables and a reduction that was out of this world. this was preceeded by a raspberry sorbet that not only cleaned the palate, but was quite flavorful. if there weren't other people around, i would probably have licked the plate, but instead satisfied myself with the excellent cava that i chose with the meal.

at this point, i turned to my wife and said that this meal definitely was in my "top 5", maybe a tad behind cafe benoit and french laundry. then came the coffee and dessert - home run! i'm sure folks know what i mean when they say they've had a great meal, but either the coffee and / or dessert do not measure up. well, these did - and then some. the desert was an olive oil cake, with a dollop of honey ice cream, granola, strawberries and an indescribable balsamic vinegar drizzle. and the coffee was so good i said "why yes, i'll have a second cup."

afterwards, while my wife used the powder room, i was sneaking a peak in the kitchen, watching the chef and his proteges in a bee hive of activity. the general manager came over - concerned - to ask me if anything was wrong. i assured him that all was well and shared with him my thoughts regarding this simply incredible establishment.

great attention is paid to every detail, although if you are looking for a great view, you won't find it here - it's in an emerging neighboorhood not far from downtown. still, the decor was interesting (faux marble, tin ceilings, exposed wood, etc.) without being either too casual (for such a nice restaurant) or too snobby / tired (like the chantecleer or some other such place).

i can't say enough about this place, so i'll just say this - it was simply the best meal i ever had. go there and put yourselves in their hands - let them wow you! you'll never forget it.